


I Don't Need Any Shooting Stars

by Stitches04



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Best Friend Squad (She-Ra), Catra (She-Ra) Redemption, Celebrations, Dances, F/F, F/M, Festivals, Galas, Idiots in Love, Lesbian Adora (She-Ra), Lesbian Catra (She-Ra), POV Catra (She-Ra), Pick-Up Lines, Slow Dancing, Stargazing, lesbians in suits
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-18 16:48:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28621317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stitches04/pseuds/Stitches04
Summary: Now that Horde Prime is defeated, there is only one thing left to do: Celebrate Adora and Catra's first holiday together. Will planning this party be as easier said than done?
Relationships: Adora & Catra (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra), Entrapta/Hordak (She-Ra), Mermista/Sea Hawk (She-Ra), Perfuma/Scorpia (She-Ra)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 43





	I Don't Need Any Shooting Stars

“So what is this thing again?” Catra asked, leaning her chair back so her unpadded feet rested on the table.

“It’s called the Festival of the First Ones,” Glimmer explained, her hands in her lap. They were all currently lounging in Queen Glimmer’s room. Her and Bow were lounging on her bed, with Glimmer swinging her legs back and forth. Bow had his hand resting on the small of her back. “My mom told me it was made not long after the First Ones left Etheria. It’s a holiday to remember the work that they did and the history they left behind.”

“My dads love it, since they’re huge First Ones historians,” Bow added with a fond smile. “We went all out for our celebrations. Lots of food, even more displays of First Ones tech. They even brought fireworks one year. We almost had to put out a few fires.”

Catra frowned. “How come I haven’t heard of this before? It seems like a pretty big deal.”

Adora slid in next to Catra on the couch. Having her near almost made a small purr roll out of Catra, but she bit it back. “The Horde never told us about holidays. I didn’t know what a birthday was until I first met Bow and Glimmer.”

“They really did isolate us, huh?” Catra said, leaning her head onto Adora’s shoulder. 

“Yup.” Adora started to run her hands through Catra’s hair, finally causing her held back purrs to surface. Her hair was finally growing back to its former untamed glory, although deep down she missed her short hair. She wouldn’t tell anyone that, though.

“So how do you princesses celebrate it? Is there glitter and smiles everywhere?” Catra asked with a wave of her hand.

“Not really,” Glimmer responded. She pushed off the bed and moved to her closet. “Brightmoon used to invite all of the different kingdoms here for a  _ huge _ gala. Music, dancing, food and drinks.” Glimmer ruffled through her closet and pulled out this extravagant deep purple ball gown. It was littered with glitter, which Catra knew was something Glimmer would wear. It had a high neck and a fitted frame. 

“And the best part? This all takes place under the night sky!” Bow’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “It’s kind of like the First Ones watching over us.”

Catra felt Adora tense at her side. She looked up and saw Adora glaring at the floor, her eyebrows knitted in deep thought. Catra’s ears drooped a bit. It’s been months since they had defeated Horde Prime and brought peace back to Etheria. But it still didn’t change the fact that what Adora learned about the First Ones was horrible. They wanted to use She-Ra, turn Adora, into a weapon. That’s something that you don’t easily recover from. Catra knew that well enough.

She reached her hand out and took Adora’s hand in hers. Adora turned her head, some of the tension releasing in her face. She gave a fraction of a smile and brought Catra’s hand to her lips.

Suddenly, an idea hit Catra hard enough that she bursted out of her seat. “What if we changed the meaning of the celebration?”

Glimmer stopped twirling around with her ball gown. All eyes were suddenly on her as if she were crazy. 

“What do you mean?” Bow asked. 

“We all know what the First Ones did. They didn’t come here to improve Etheria. They came here to destroy it and take all of its magic for themselves.” She saw everyone’s eyes cast downward, even Adora. But she pushed on. “This isn’t something we can just ignore, especially with this festival coming up. Yeah, we can acknowledge what they did and how it hurt us, but we shouldn’t celebrate it.”

Glimmer carefully hung the dress back up on its rack. “So what do you propose instead?”

“What if we renamed the festival? Something like… Festival of the Stars? Change the meaning to celebrating the arrival of stars back to Etheria.” She motioned out the balcony where the night sky lay waiting for them. 

“Do you think people would be upset?” Bow asked, fidgeting with his hands.

“I don’t think they would,” Adora responded with certainty, standing up next to Catra. AS she did, she felt Adora’s hand slide into her own. “Catra’s right. We can’t keep honoring the First Ones like they’re gods. What they did hurt us, hurt our friends, and hurt Etheria. That’s not something we should condone.”

Catra smiled a bit to herself, seeing Adora out of her funk. She’s been working on it ever since Horde Prime’s defeat, but maybe this could be a huge step in her recovery.

Glimmer and Bow shared a look for a moment. Catra was tense in fear. This was Queen Glimmer they were talking to, here. She was always headstrong on her opinions, and this was her mom’s legacy she was upholding. Queen Angella used to host these galas, and Catra wondered if Glimmer held onto every memory of those moments as if it would be blown away at a moment’s notice. 

Then, they both nod and Glimmer turned her attention to Catra. “You’re right. And I think my mom would have agreed with you, too. This is my kingdom, and it’s about time we made some changes.”

“Plus, the Festival of the First Ones doesn’t have much of a ring to it,” Bow added with a grin. “Festival of the Stars is  _ so  _ much cooler!”

Catra let out a breath of relief. “Okay. Now let’s get planning.”

\-------------------------

Planning was much harder than Catra had imagined. When it came to fighting strategies and scheming against Horde Prime or even the princesses, it was like a walk in the park. They came to her with unsettling ease and allowed her to throw off her enemies.

However, battle plans were nothing like planning and organizing a party. How was she supposed to know what color flowers best matched the tapestries? What did that even mean? Just make them the same color! She growled in frustration as Glimmer was hounding her left and right about how everything needed to be perfect, even down to what kind of water would be served. Water is water! Catra would only drink water, not bathe in the damn stuff.

Bow was busy on invitations and sending out letters to all of their princess friends and any of the other kingdoms that they have rescued from the past. They wanted to open it up to everyone possible, not just their close friend group. To Catra, it was a small but brutal reminder of how many villages and people she had conquered for Horde. It made her tail stand on end but she curled it around her waist to hide it.

Meanwhile, Adora was on patrol duty. She made sure the Brightmoon Royal Guards were as prepared as they could be for the biggest party to ever hit Etheria. Catra always admired Adora’s protective aura. If she had her mind set on something, she would go through with it, and whatever it took to do it, she would follow through. Yeah, that made her a bit stubborn when it came to it, but it was still one of the things Catra loved about her.

Eventually, the night arrived and the anticipation was contagious in the Etherian air. That, or it was the swarm of magic that now flowed through Etheria. Catra was in her own quarters, getting ready. This was her first real formal event, besides that time at Princess Prom. She had a rough image of what exactly she wanted to wear, something similar to her outfit from that first event, but more… catered to her. Luckily, Glimmer had the perfect vision in mind.

Catra pulled her newly grown-in hair into a high pony, enough that her wiry hair would stand up instead of flopping down like Adora’s usually did. She wore a white button-down and rolled up the sleeves so that they were past her elbows and more like regular sleeves. She loosened some of the buttons up at the top so that the collar was loose and showed off the front of her chest. Over the dress shirt was a plain burgundy vest with buttons down the second half. The shirt was tucked into a plain pair of black fitted pants and a belt. To finish, she slid on a short pair of black boots with gold tips at the end.

She looked herself over in the mirror. She had to admit… Glimmer really did know how to accessorise. Catra never really felt herself in the dresses she often saw the other princesses wear. How do you even move in those shirts? Pants gave her security and mobility, especially if an enemy was coming for them. Catra smirked at herself in the mirror, pleasantly surprised with the outcome.

Catra saw Glimmer appear in the doorway from the reflection of the mirror. She was still in her queen attire and she leaned against the doorway. “You look amazing,” Glimmer said with a small smile.

Catra turned around, rubbing the back of her neck. “Thanks, Glitter. Guess you did me good.”

Glimmer chuckled and moved into the room. “Oh, I try. You remind me of when I helped Adora with her outfit for Princess Prom. She was a mess.”

Catra laughed. “Oh I can definitely see that. She’s been wearing that same red coat for as long as I’ve known her. It’s about time she steps into something new.”

There was a small silence between them. Catra suddenly panicked. She’s surprised that Glimmer had even talked to her while they were on Horde Prime’s ship, given that her mom would still be here if it weren’t for Catra. The thought echoed in her mind, causing her to look down.

“Hey,” Glimmer said abruptly to break the silence. Catra looked up, and her eyes sparkled with the threat of tears. “Please don’t blame yourself for what happened.” She sighed. “I was mad for a long time after it happened. I thought I lost both my mom and my dad, and I had to rule alone. But… in some ways, I guess you brought my dad back to me. And I think my mom would have wanted that more than anything. The two of us, ruling together.”

Catra watched her as a tear fell down Glimmer’s cheek, which she immediately wiped away. “Let’s not dwell on that tonight. We have a party to get to.”

As Glimmer was about to walk away, Catra spoke up. “She would be proud of you, you know. Your mom.”

Glimmer looked back and a sad smile crossed her face, the look of someone who tried to brave through the pain. “Thanks, Catra. That means a lot.”

\-------------------------

Day melted into the cool of night, the milky white of the moons shining down upon the Bright Moon palace. The stars sparkled above like gems in a cavern just waiting to be explored. The crowds of guests from all the kingdoms started to pour into the palace, with murmurs of excitement and tales to be told within the walls. 

Catra was walking the main floor of the palace where the gala was being held. She took in the decorations that were filling the space, and the realization hit her on how stunning everything was. Light lavender fabric draped in swoops from one column to another, fastened in place by a gold circular bracket. Across various side tables scattered along the walls were vases of dark purple and sunshine flowers. There was a long table at the far left that held a cornucopia of various snacks and beverages that Catra had minorly indulged in. Her favorite had to be the cheese appetizers. Her mouth salivated at the thought.

Just as she was about to start over to the snacks bar, an oh too familiar voice sounded from behind her. “What do you think?”

Catra turned around and had to stop her jaw from dropping to the floor. Adora was wearing a complete contrast to what she had at Princess Prom. Her hair was in its usual high pony with the little pump at the top, but encasing the crown of her head was a thin gold band which dipped into a sharp V in between her eyes. In the middle was a crimson gemstone. Small gold strands hung daintily from her ears.

Adora had a sleeveless white A-line top edged in gold at the bottom, and traveled through the center of the top to create a gold collar around her neck. It was short enough to show a little bit of midriff. It was complimented with high waisted formal pants and a gold belt. Draped around her shoulders was a short white cowl, and her forearms were guarded by golden bracers. She wore gold heels with a strap wrapped around the ankles.

  
  


Catra quickly composed herself, her ears straightening. “I-It’s amazing. Glitter really made this look like the life of the party.”

Adora joined her side. In the light of the palace, she glowed more than she ever did if she was She-Ra. “She really did.”

While Adora took in the sights around them, Catra couldn’t take her eyes off of Adora. Eventually Adora looked over to her with a faint blush on her cheeks. “Is it too much? I told Bow that maybe it was a bit too much out of my comfort zone but he insisted. Swift Wind wouldn’t leave me alone until I tried it on.”

Catra chuckled at Adora’s rambling. It was adorable, pun intended. She leaned in and kissed Adora’s cheek. “You look amazing,” she said in a low voice. “Don’t sweat over it.”

Adora’s face was consumed in pink. “T-Thank you.”

“Now come on. We got a party to attend.” She wrapped her arm around Adora’s waist and led her out onto the floor. 

Glimmer was at the queen’s throne that floated at the head of the room, lifting her glass and announcing the festivities. She revealed the renaming of the Festival of the First Ones to Festival of the Stars. Instead of the expected backlash, everyone was nodding along and muttering their agreement with Queen Glimmer. An unannounced knot in Catra’s stomach loosened.

“We wouldn’t have come up with this if it weren’t for Catra,” Glimmer said with a bright smile, motioning her glass in her direction. 

Her ears popped up in shock as everyone turned to follow Glimmer’s gaze. All these eyes bearing down on her made her straighten, as if she had an image to uphold. Then, everyone clapped and cheered, and all of that tension released into the night air. Catra’s ears dropped slightly and offered a small wave back and an awkward smile. Adora took her hand, a proud smile adding to her godly glow.

“Now, let the dancing commence!” Glimmer exclaimed, and suddenly a loud band paraded a jazzy tune, causing everyone to burst into some kind of jig or shimmy or some form of variation. 

Catra immediately led Adora to the refreshments, where she devoured those cheese skewers to her heart’s content. Adora giggled at the sight.

After Catra swallowed the last one on her plate, she leaned against the wall and propped her foot against it. “Y’know, it felt weird.”

Adora turned to her with a quizzical look. “What do you mean?”

“When Glimmer credited me all this,” Catra elaborated, motioning with her tiny plate out to the crowd. “Back in the Horde, my ideas were either discredited or failed completely, meaning Horde took it out on me. Not here. Everyone… likes it. Kind of makes me think it’s all about to backfire.”

“Hey, Bright Moon isn’t the Horde. It took me a while to adjust to that, too. Everyone is… kinder. They value friendship and individuality. The Horde never understood that.” Adora placed her hand on Catra’s shoulder, causing her to look up. “Your word is valued here. Never forget that.”

Catra nodded, letting Adora’s words wash over her. The Horde was a horrible place; she realized that now. But that was in her past, and this world, these friends, were her future. 

Suddenly, the music shifted to a tune with a slower pace. Some people moved off of the dance floor and towards the refreshment station. Meanwhile, a few couples and some of their friends rushed out to take the now empty spots. Catra spotted Scorpia dragging Perfuma out to the floor. Sea Hawk did a bow and offered his hand to Mermista, who rolled her eyes but took it anyway. Entrapta screaming in excitement and dragging New Hordak into the circle.

Catra placed her empty plate on a side table and stepped forward so she was in front of Adora. She offered her hand. “Can I have this dance?”

Adora smiled a smile so soft that Catra’s heart thought it would melt. “I thought you would never ask.” And she took her hand.

They walked together out onto the dance floor. Once they found a decent enough spot that they wouldn’t bump into anyone else. Adora and Catra clasped their hands together. As they slowly swayed together to the soft instrumental of the piano melody dancing from one note to the next. The two of them hung onto each other as if releasing themselves would break this moment, break this dream Catra always convinced herself was in.

What they went through was hell, that much they could agree on. The life both her and Adora lived was full of pain in all forms. If she told her younger self that all this would happen after Adora got promoted to Force Captain, she wouldn’t have believed herself. But here they were. Hand in hand. They made it through all the pain and came out on the other side okay. 

They would be okay.

Adora eventually adjusted herself so that her arms draped around Catra’s shoulders. Catra smiled to herself and dropped her hands to rest on Adora’s waist. Here, Catra could finally focus on everything she loved about Adora. The way her clear ocean eyes sparkled like gemstones. The way the light from the gala danced on her near golden hair. The way that she looked at Catra like she was the center of her whole universe.    
  


In some ways, Catra knew that’s exactly how she saw Adora, too.

While Catra was mid-thought, Adora rested her head on Catra’s chest. Catra immediately started to purr, trying to sway as softly as possible so she wouldn’t ruin this moment. After everything, Catra’s worst fear was that Adora would turn her down and not accept her attempts at change. She almost thought Adora would leave her back on Horde Prime’s ship. 

But no. Adora fought to hell and back to get her back home. Home to her. It was through Adora she realized that love can really prevail when all it had done to her was fail her. Adora anchored her in this love, and never let go. And Catra wouldn’t either.

At some point, the music slowed to a stop and Glimmer took her spot up at the throne. “Okay, everyone! Time for us to head outside for the second half of this party!”

Adora righted herself, but still never let go of Catra, which she was totally okay with. The two of them moved out to the lawn just outside of the palace. There, everyone gathered with blankets and drinks to stargaze. Catra rested her head on Adora’s shoulder, with Bow and Glimmer beside them. 

Just as Catra swore this moment, this night, couldn’t get any better, suddenly there was a streak of white across the sky. Catra sat up, confused that she was possibly losing her sight. Then, a second star crossed the sky in just as quick of a motion. 

“What is that?” Catra asked in wonder.

“I think my dads researched these,” Bow said. “I think they are called shooting stars. The First Ones used to wish on them whenever they were around.”

Catra looked at the sky in amazement as the sky soon was flurrying with more of these stars. She looked to Adora with a smug smile. “You know, I don’t think I need any shooting stars.”

Adora immediately blushed, bursting into a giggle. “Okay that was cheesy and you know it.”

Catra shrugged and chuckled. “I’m trying out some new things. Must be your princess magic getting to me.”

The four friends laughed and sat under the stars, but deep down they wished for things to stay this way for forever.

**Author's Note:**

> This story is a gift to the lovely starstruck.sailor on Instagram! I hope you enjoy this gift as much as I enjoyed writing it. I want to thank my friend Soul for the title concept. Catra and Adora's outfits were based off of art by @yuufaia on Twitter and indiris on Pinterest. I wish I could post the photos because they are stunning!


End file.
